Intensive Culture of Vegetables ‘was originally published in 1913
4290-1328-4
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Trang 8INTENSIVE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES
Trang 12CONTENTS 1.—lwropucroay _ _ — —T 1I—Eanuy History es THỊ.—PRiwCibrEs OE THE TNFENSIVE CULTLVATION ow Vsokrans „ _ _ 8
TV.—PLANNING A FrENCH GARDEN 15
Trang 13LIST OF PLATES
Warerinc with Cans uu - -/@ng 2 36 ĐaapAnive_A[USHROOM_ ŠPAWN — 164
Musnaoow CULTURE—ARRANGING MANURE 160
Trang 14Intensive Culture of Vegetables
CHAPTER I
Introductory
Les recoltes se succédent de six en six semaines; et aprés chacune, Uhomme retrouve sa terre aussi vaillante et aussi docile qu’auparavant Parce qu'il lui est devoué, il la posséde comme personne ne la posséda jamais, comme jamais amant ne posséda sa maitresse.—(La Cité Chinoise—G Eng Simon.)
“Crops succeed one another every six weeks; and after each the cultivator finds his soil as productive and as workable as before Because he is devoted to it, he esteems it as no one ever esteemed it before, and as no gallant has ever esteemed his lady love.””
Once the meaning of this quotation is fully under- stood, it will give a fair idea of the spirit that should dominate the enthusiast in the intensive culture of vegetables The cultivator must be devoted to and interested in his work and really love the land, the mother of all wealth and production and the most important asset at his disposal ‘The aim of this system is not so much what a crop will bring or what
Trang 152 Intensive Culture of Vegetables,
that God wanted us to get from it for our welfare, livelihood, and happiness
In this mercenary age, the love of gain dominates all our actions We are always calculating on the highest returns for the least exertion, and we are often led to believe that practice of a method is accom- panied by big profit Fortunately we find our mistake at an early date, and as the corollary of this love of gain has forced us to specialize in a par- ticular branch of production if we desire to compete successfully
We all have a natural tendency towards gardening that manifests itself from the earliest age, but it can only be adopted as a profession when we have trained ourselves in one of its numerous branches The intensive culture of vegetables, to be successful, must be treated asa speciality ; it is such a complex system of cost, labour, and brain that to understand it thoroughly it must be judged in its entirety Every- thing is weighed, calculated, timed, and checked; every crop has a cycle of growth to follow and it must work as a piece of ingenious mechanism for the welfare of the others that succeed it Man has every- thing under his thumb; but it is only experience and full knowledge of his subject that will enable him to obtain favourable results
George Ville, the initiator of the use of chemicals, has proved that where the land is well treated it can produce three times more than is necessary to feed all those dependent upon it He has also demonstrated that plants can obtain their nourishment from another medium than the soil What he has shown is possible with the help of chemicals the intensive culture of vegetables has done by means of decayed manure as
Trang 16Introductory 3
the medium of growth and source of nutrition, The grower does not trouble whether a crop will thrive, because it is a positive fact he has given in the winter or early spring all that was necessary, therefore he knows he cannot well be disappointed; and should a crop not come up to expectation he can attribute it with just cause to faulty cultivation or to adverse weather
The initial cost of the system under notice may appear extraordinary, but it compares fairly well with the cost of the establishment of a nursery of similar area Moreover, we must bear in mind that the system is practised in a country where all raw material is heavily taxed, and where coal is scarce and expensive Lights and bell-glasses have been found more economical than heated structures, and are used for all kinds of crops besides vegetables
‘Manure, water, and labour, which constitute the backbone of intensive culture, are easily obtainable near populous centres—the most propitious places in which to start such an undertaking We may emphasize this economic fact, that the longer the system is practised on the same ground the better are the results to be obtained; the elements in use increase both in quantity and fertility, while labour decreases owing to greater facility in the working operations, and all the appliances are easily constructed and kept in repair English produce, in regard to quality and earliness has been equal to that grown in France,
Trang 17+ Intensive Culture of Vegetables
Unfortunately there have been failures, but these were not due to the system but rather to the position of the gardens or their management Horticulture in all its branches suffers from the excessive railway rates and lack of distributing centres, entail- ing extra charges for commission, handlings, and transit, while if we add allowance for waste, no one has a sufficient profit and the consumer pays excessive price
We may be remonstrated with for not giving even, approximate returns as a guide to beginners We have, however, tried through this little work to be integral and to give an impartial idea of this system ‘We could not, therefore, give returns, as these would have been misleading The demand governs the supply and no grower has control over it; the weather, the standard of goods, and the locality are a few of the points to consider when fixing a price for every class of produce The price obtained in past seasons is no guarantee as to the future; and, with so many points to bear in mind, we thought it advisable to refrain from introducing figures which for practical purposes would be entirely useless
Trang 18CHAPTER II
Early History
‘Tue intensive culture of vegetables, so largely prac- tised in France, and to a small extent in this country, differs materially from the ordinary cultivation ; crops occupy the ground during the whole year, and are also concurrently grown together in the same space This system of cultivation has occupied a prominent place in France for several centuries, as is attested by its literature The idea of obtaining early pro- duce with the help of glass is mentioned in “Le ‘Theatre d’Agriculture et Menage des Champs,” by Oliver de Serres (1539-1619); but the originator of forcing vegetables on more or less scientific lines was La Quintime (1620-1688), Head Gardener of Louis XIV., who had to supply the table of his august
Trang 196 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
practical Very little is known as to their trade during the French Revolution except through the authors of fiction, who frequently introduce the horse and cart of a market gardener to further the escape of their heroine In 1820, however, these market- gardeners began the forcing of Cos Lettuce under cloches which were altered in diameter and height to suit the methods employed The composition of the glass was also experimented upon till the favourable greenish tint was obtained
Previous to the Franco-German War the maraichers were exceedingly prosperous, and not only grew edible vegetables and fruits, but they were also renowned for their culture of annuals in pots, especi- ally Stocks Some of the more skilled gardeners were, moreover, able to differentiate in the young state the double from the single plants, and went from one garden to another eliminating the latter before the final potting in 48’s During the siege of Paris (1870-1871) French market-gardeners used all kinds of cunning stratagems in their endeavour to cross the lines and to bring vegetables into the city ; when they were successful the prices they obtained amply repaid them for the risks they ran
Trang 20Early History 7
principles of cultivation were not altered then, a labour-saving system was introduced, for we find that from 1880 they employed first animal and then steam power in watering—an operation which previously was done by hand They, however, had the advantage of their provincial colleagues as to skilled help in every branch of their trade Though this competition was keenly felt on the Paris market, it opened new outlets for their produce in the different Continental capitals, even as far as St Petersburg and Lisbon They also specialised in the culture of vegetables and fruits which do not travel well—Lettuces, Turnips, Radishes, Melons, &
This branch of gardening has always remained independent of any other class of horticulture, and for many years syndicates for the employers as well as for the employees have been formed Most of the gardens where this system is practised are worked by the members of the same family, or with the help of one or two hands while the proprietor’s children are too young to do the necessary work Though women never assist in the actual cultivation of the crops, they have the entire management of the packing, dispatch- ing, and selling of the produce In this department they excel in quickness and neatness, as can be seen at the Halles Centrales in Paris every morning, where
they stand with their wares
Trang 21
CHAPTER IIL
Principles of the Intensive Cultivation of
Vegetables
‘Tue combined experience of generations of maraichers in the districts around Paris has taught them strictly to adhere to certain well-defined principles in the practice of their craft Improvements have been made both in the material used and in the strains of seed grown, yet the natural laws of vegetation have been closely followed A study of the principles of this system will give the novice a fair idea of the working of a French garden, but the actual details of cultivation will be found very similar to those
associated with other systems of gardening
Intensive culture on a more or less extensive scale must, save in exceptional circumstances, be treated as a business or run on business lines Amateurs and private gardeners can learn to supply their own requirements by this system, but to fully appreciate its possibilities it must be worked as a commercial business
‘The principles of the intensive cultivation of vegetables are :—
1st: Uniformity
and: Constant and even growth
+ The working with and assisting of Nature Intercropping
Trang 22Principles of Intensive Culture, 9
Uniformity
It is absolutely necessary in face of the keen competition in the open market to have uniformity in appliances, spaces cultivated, and manual labour This is very obvious on paying a visit to the gardens surrounding Paris, where intensive culture is most largely practised All lights, frames, cloches, and mats are uniform in size and shape, and this has been the result of years of experience put into practice, and makers now manufacture the various articles to meet in every respect the requirements of the gardeners
The main idea is to be able to interchange the appliances from any one part of the garden to any other where needed, and this is also the reason why the ground is laid out according to the measure- ments given in the special section on page 19 Uniformity of material in size and weight means expediency and simplicity in labour, and saves unnecessary mental work in deciding its position on the ground Uniformity is also noticeable in the width of the beds in the open; they are always either 4ft Gin, in the case of single beds (the width of one light) or roft., which is equal to two single beds and one path
Trang 2310 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
growers know the proper time for each operation and the number of plants requisite to fill any allotted space They always work with an idea—one which allows them to obtain what to an outsider would appear an enormous quantity of produce without waste
Uniformity of material and management also allows them, when necessity occurs, to undertake important work—such as the making of the hotbeds in the spring, or the establishment of the winter quarter for the Lettuces—in a very short time, when the weather is not, as is often the case, favourable to these operations Uniformity also predominates in prepar- ing and packing the produce for sale, as a visit to the Paris central markets will prove ‘The advantages of uniformity here are manifest, for the salesmen and the buyers alike know the size of the bunches and the number in each package beforehand
Constant and Even Growth
An important point in the intensive culture of vegetables is never to allow a plant to stop growing From the time the seed is put into the soil till the plant is marketed the French grower keeps it constantly moving by giving it all that is necessary for its welfare By this method a plant is got ready for market in the shortest possible period, and therefore time is gained and money saved Further, by such means an even growth is also obtained A whole batch of plants can therefore be marketed within a few days, thus enabling the ground to be occupied by another crop without loss of time
Trang 24func-Pri
iples of Intensive Culture n
tions; the rootlets which absorb the necessary nourish- ment soon perish When the plant is brought into a condition more favourable to growth, it has to form new rootlets, which, according to the situation of the plant, takes more or less time, and the result is that unevenness of growth so noticeable in many gardens This is what a French gardener avoids at all costs He grows different plants together; there- fore every subject must follow the course of its natural vegetation, in order that it may be cleared off the ground in time to make room for the plants that take longer to grow or that require more room This principle explains the care taken in regard to strains of varieties grown under the system, the reasons for the special dates for sowing, and the uniformity of the work
The little time for growth which is allowed to each plant amply demonstrates the thorough knowledge and practice of French gardening All the plants are sown at the last possible moment, even when early production is aimed at To obtain such result a grower must work with certainty and confidence, as a failure in the germination of seeds, or at an early stage of growth, would spoil the crop As the success of one crop often depends on the good growth of another, the importance of even and constant vegeta- tion of each batch of plants under cultivation may be
readily understood
Working With and Assisting Nature
Trang 252 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
requires to start or continue its cycle of growth when the weather would otherwise impede it—in other words, to work with and assist Nature
With the quick transit of goods and the perfect methods of refrigeration now in use, it is possible to obtain from more genial climes fruit, flowers, and vegetables all the year round It is therefore very risky to force a plant, as one has not merely to take into consideration the extra cost of production, but also the increase of failure in the culture for a problematic and often unremunerative result It would also be departing from the principles of modern intensive culture to attempt to grow vegetables at an unnatural time, so far as growth is concerned, as the system aims at quality and quantity of produce: the earliness is obtained by following the numerous details of culti- vation and by making the best of the material at disposal
‘The busiest time in a French garden is during the spring At that period the Vegetable, like the Animal Kingdom, is under the influence, as it were, of a new life: it is Nature's great reproductive season ‘There is then produced a certain amount of vital energy unknown at another time of the year Unfor- tunately, this force is wasted in many systems of culture owing to climatic conditions Brisk changes of temperature, storm, cold, rain, and sometimes snow, impede the course of this new life ‘The French gardener simply helps this vital energy to work to its utmost capacity by giving to the plants heat or shelter as necessity requires Working with plants in good health, full of vitality, he cannot but succeed if he knows on the one hand what is lacking or on the other what is preponderant
Trang 26Principles of Intensive Culture, 13
Intercropping
Much has been said about the French system of intercropping The correct method is the key to certain success To understand it in its entirety one must have first, a complete knowledge of every strain of vegetable; secondly, the type of every variety; thirdly, the time required for a crop from the final planting till it comes to maturity; fourthly, the time of the year which is most suitable for the cultivation of a variety; and fifthly, the best medium for its growth either in hotbeds, in cold frames, or in the
open ground
There must be no hurry where the correct method of intercropping is pursued A plant must be ready at a given time and have reached a certain stage of growth, or the crop growing with the unprepared one ‘would soon get the upper hand and spoil it Tt may even be necessary to give up an intercrop if this does not keep up to the standard of its growth, in order to save the main crop, which would soon deteriorate if the former were left longer than was good for the latter
Trang 274 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
(main crop) is planted in the same bed Thirdly, a batch of plants is grown as a main crop till the course of growth is practically complete before planting the intercrop, which is set in time to get established before the main crop is cleared off the ground Take Melons; these as a main crop are grown for from eight to ten weeks before Cauliflowers (intercrop) are inserted
Correct intercropping is a constant source of work as the time allotted to each plant to reach a certain stage of growth is strictly limited The growers rely mainly on the strain and, above all, on the quality of the seeds This explains the difficulty encountered in getting the special strains used in this system, as most gardeners prefer, when possible, to raise their own seeds from parents selected according to class of soil and the special type of plants required for future operations A chapter is devoted to the consideration of this important subject
Trang 28CHAPTER IV
Planning a French Garden
As we have tried to emphasize, this system of cultiva- tion must be conducted on essentially business lines, for it is only on this method that it is possible to ensure a large quantity of produce and to maintain the excellence of the crops Not only must the grower bear carefully in mind the marketing of the produce, but also, and mainly, the cost of production, as the financial returns are always, as in any other system, more or less problematical, being governed in fact by the uncontrollable laws of supply and demand
The initial outlay of capital is sufficient to prove to a prospective French gardener that to do himself justice and those dependent upon him he must be certain that he can not only manage the concern once begun, but prove himself a good organiser in the establishing of his garden The ñrst point is that the owner must give up his whole time to the concern He must also start on a scale that will enable him to utilise his ground and to find a constant and remunera- tive occupation There must, however, be no exaggeration in regard to this detail, as the aim of the cultivator is to obtain the full productiveness from the ground; therefore to have more material than he can accommodate would be a dead toss
Trang 2916 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
to start another; whilst the other half is left to out- door crops, which are a necessary complement to the economical working of the glass department It would be a mistake to think that a large staff allows an owner to start or work a French garden on a bigger scale, and to obtain therefrom a return in proportion To attempt alterations of the methods (unless it is done progressively) is to run great risk, as it tends to destroy the homogeneity of management; it also means the abandonment of the numerous details which make for the success of the system The quality of the produce would probably be inferior ‘owing to the enormous quantity to be handled in a short time Again, the increase of labour and material would not always work profitably together owing to the slackness of occupation at certain times and too much material being idle at others
If we take, for example, the watering, which must be done in summer before 10 a.m at the latest, we have, say, sixty melon-beds, or 1000 lights These will require ggalls of water each, or 3ooogalls to be used within three hours, which will occupy at least four men The irrigation will therefore be established on a basis for employing four men, without making allowances for the other crops At that period there will also be ample packing The produce to be in good travelling order must be gathered in the morning, and will mean extra labour in hand By having too much material the responsible manager will not be able to attend to everything, and inferior crops will result
Trang 30Planning a French Garden 1 when he brings his material up to the standard In a well organised and conveniently situated business the number is brought up to ro00 lights and 4000 to 5000 cloches; but we know of no instance where these figures have been exceeded
‘The most economical way of starting is to have the lights painted and glazed and the frames made on the premises, as the carriage of the ready-made articles always entails heavier expenses and more handling, to say nothing of the possibility of break- ages It also ensures having all the small appliances introduced at the very place where they are wanted and having them uniform in every respect
The cost of the establishment of such a garden is approximately as follows :— Purcuase oF Lan anp Necessary Ourerr 00 Lights as described at 8j- oo Frames with bars, clips, at 8ƒ: „ 1M 4o 00 2000 Cloches at £5 0s per 100 + ¬ 0 50 Mats at £7 per 100 Beige caren) ea eee Supply ‘about £120) 38 10 0 60 0 0 Tools Horse and Cart : S 500 0 200
Shed and Stables _ 100 0 0
Land (two acres) ee
Zio 100 Workina EXPansts
400 Tons of Horse Manure at 6- : “mo eo
Seeds oe yo 0 0
Keep of Horse yearly Labour Bill (approximate) | nm 1§0 0 0 2500 Interest on Sinking Capital, £68 at § per cent, 33 15 0 Wear and Tear of Material at § per cent, Bag 0 Rates and Taxes, roughly Water Rate (Company's water) Sm - 1000 2000
Trang 318 Intensive Culture of Vegetable:
As the figures show—and they are obtained from different sources—the outlay is roughly £1000 for the first year
Choosing a Site
When selecting a piece of ground for a French garden there are several points to be borne in mind Tt must be conveniently situated, where manure can be had at little expense for carting, and where an ample supply of water can be obtained There must be a ready market and railway station near—in fact, every facility for saving trouble and expense must exist The cost of a piece of ground near any increas- ing town will naturally be greater than it will be for a piece in the country far from a building area; but even after paying a high price for it there is the certainty of being on the right side in the saving of what can be classed as current expenses The ground should be naturally sheltered from the north-east especially, as the cold blasts from this quarter are very injurious when one is nursing young and tender plants A good road for carting to and from a station is almost indispensable, as so much work has to be carried on during the wet months of the year
Trang 32Planning a French Garden 19
is of little importance, as the decayed manure from the old beds supplies any deficiency in this respect Low, damp places and foggy districts must always be avoided or great difficulties will have to be surmounted, and even impossibilities would have to
be faced
Preparation of the Ground
After selecting the site, the next thing of importance is to find a straight line upon which to base all future measurements and to consider the following: The line must be chosen according to the situation of the garden; the access from the road; the position of the buildings, & The ground should be divided into parallelograms oft wide, and it is extremely import- ant that these are made at right angles to the approaches of the garden, even if in doing so their position is thrown eastwards or westwards, though, of course, facing south is the best With ground of irregular shape all irregularities are thrown on the “€Costieres,”” or beds against boundaries The width of these beds also varies up to goft if the width of the area leaves a fraction of a full size division (zoft.) on the east or west sides
Besides the paths between each division (the width of the path is included in the width of 7oft.), there should be one permanent path at the top and one at the bottom of the garden, and when the length of these divisions exceeds 1soft a central path will also he needed The position of the latter always varies, and is generally made up at the end of the hotbeds
‘When the ground has been marked out a general level must be found, and if the ground is on the slope it must be even and the slope not too excessive
Trang 3320 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
If the ground is hollow anywhere, the soil from the path will often be sufficient to supply the deficiency
The next operation is instilling the irrigation, which the Plan of the Tiptree Garden (Fig 1) shows A row of pipes should be laid on the boundaries of each vision, 12in to 1gin deep, and a stop-valve fixed at the end of each row, by means of which the pipes may be emptied during the winter The pipes should only be sunk sufficiently deep to be out of reach of the tools
‘The digging and the divisions of the ground should next be taken in hand The turf is generally dug in, as it decays very rapidly and forms excellent nourish- ment for the prospective crops In new ground it may be necessary to spread gas-lime or Vaporite to destroy soil insects and other pests which are other- wise sure to prove troublesome The place for hot- beds will not require deep digging, but it must be very carefully levelled
‘The ground intended for immediate cropping must be heavily manured with ordinary farm manure The paths must be well constructed, as the heavy work takes place during the winter They may be built with different material, according to the locality —stones, clinkers, and gravel, however, always form a good and hard surface for wheeling, & The width of the paths should never exceed 5ft., and we advise, if procurable, the employment of old railway-sleepers, used two abreast in the centre of the paths They are cheap, lasting, and always clean For a garden of two acres the cost of the paths without the laying would rarely exceed £10
‘The place intended for the stacking of the manure must be accessible from the road, and as close as
Trang 36Planning a French Garden
possible to the position of the hotbeds, in order to save excessive carting In the vicinity of the stacks and roadway (the later should be toft to 12ft wide) it must be very solid and well made on account of the carting traffic to which it will be subject If possible, there should be an ingress and egress in order to avoid turning the cart, and thus cutting up the ground and perhaps treading on the beds next to the stack
‘The collection of the material and implements, the different operations for the preparation of the ground, the supply of manure, the instalment of the irrigation, and the breaking up of the soil necessary for filling up the frames the first season will occupy three months, even when everything is on the premises Though we can well understand the natural anxiety of the owner to see crops of some description on his ground, we would, however, strongly advise him on no account unduly to hurry, as crops grown in unprepared ground rarely give satisfactory results as a market produce,
Manure
Manure is the backbone, as it were, of the intensive culture of vegetables It is employed for three purposes:—First, for the heat obtained by its fermentation; secondly, as nutrition for the plants when fermentation has ceased; and thirdly, as soil, when it is decayed and reduced into a powdery condition
Trang 3724 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
Trang 38Plaaning a French Garden 25
carriage may be very heavy We must bow to the march of the times and say “‘ Kismet.” However, Englishmen flatter themselves upon being sportsmen, and where you find an Englishman you generally find either a “humble Dobbin” or an aristocratic “Persimmon "—a love for dumb animals in general Although motor and other power have become as general in France as in England, if not more so, manure can always be obtained ‘The reason is that that which is a waste in England in certain places is an asset in France, and all owners of horses in France know it In England we have to abide by the regula- tions of the municipal bodies, and “ middens"” in large towns have to be cleared three or four times a week at the low price obtained But, as we have already said, the areas are few and far between, and the cost of railway carriage is the great stumbling- block This difficulty is worthy of the consideration of the railway companies, as a large amount of money could be made out of a very valuable article by agriculturists throughout our islands Owners of horses could bed their steeds with litter suitable for the land, and this would encourage British farmers to cultivate wheat, oats, or barley, and they would also derive a profit, and a considerable one, from the sale of the manure
Trang 3926 Intensive Culture of Vegetables
That the manure bill seems enormous must be admitted, but on consideration it will be seen that instead of being a loss it is a valuable asset Manure, as already explained, is used on account of the heat produced through its fermentation, and it is this heat which repays the grower by enabling him to produce his crops out of season When fermentation has ceased, the plants receive during the advanced spring their vitality from the sun and seek their nourishment by plunging their roots into the manure which has now become more or less decayed ‘The vast amount of humus which is stored over the site of the old hotbeds enables the grower to set his plants closer together than in the ordinary method of gardening, so that he can procure three times the quantity of produce in the same space At the end of the season the old hotbeds are thoroughly decayed The manure is then broken up and made into a fine and workable condition, either to be used as “ black soil for the following season or as a top-dressing for the open ground In the course of a few years the “*soil,”” which represents one half of the bulk of the original manure used, has formed a new and prac tically artificial piece of ground, the nutritive power of which produces abnormal growth
Any surplus is generally sold to farmers for use as a top-dressing, or to gardeners to mix with compost for pot-plants The fermentation to which manure is subject eliminates any impurities found in it whilst fresh It will also be found by experience that it is quite immune from any insect and other pests, but worms are always numerous; it is also free from weeds, except those from wind-blown seeds, which are always
unwelcome visitors
Trang 40
Planning a Fzench Garden +
Hotbeds
Upon the preparation of the hotbeds depends the success of the early crops One cannot lay down a hard and fast rule as to their making, as the gardener will of necessity have to adapt his working in accord- anée with his surroundings Assisting Nature is the constantly recurring keynote in intensive culture, and we must always come back to it
Plants require heat, but it is a well known fact that too much is as harmful as too little Therefore the heat must be regulated by the quantity and quality of manure used anid in accordance with the crops under cultivation, and the temperature must be kept as even as possible, so as to provide natural conditions for growth Fresh long manure gives too much heat; short gives too little through being slow in its re- action, especially in the very early spring, when, if the weather is to wet, it becomes saturated and will not ferment at all Some growers start their hotbeds later in the season than others owing to the heavy cost of their manure Moreover, a less quantity is needed later in the season than earlier
The crops it is proposed to deal with here do not require a temperature of more than sodegs to ssdegs F., with the exception of the seedlings of Melons and Endives The average temperature in January and February is 4odegs to 4sdegs., and as the glass and mats make up an equivalent of Gdegs F.,
only an extra sdegs or 6degs are required to make up
the necessary amount of heat This temperature must be maintained for eightto ten weeks, according to the time of laying down the beds The depth of manure required is roin when trodden, and 12in to 1gin when loose